15. Ampersand in DUMBO
On the corner of Front and Jay Streets near Brooklyn Bridge Park is Ampersand, a 2,000-pound 12-foot tall painted black aluminum sculpture. Created by Morris Adjmi Architects in conjunction with the Brooklyn-based fabrication studio New Project, the permanent sculpture is designed to function as a place-maker and monument to the importance of togetherness and forging connections. Its form was derived from classic sans-serif typefaces, with Adjimi bringing these printed conjunctions to life as a giant emblematic reference to the surrounding industrial neighborhood. Ampersand is presented by Front & York—a mixed-use development in DUMBO—and positioned on the condominium’s extended, 30-foot sidewalk.
For Lyle Starr, Morris Adjmi’s Director of Art Services, “In a literal sense, Ampersand tells the Front & York story, but at the same time, the sculpture creates an open and engaging dialogue with the neighborhood. It begins a conversation with endless interpretations of ‘togetherness.’”
